The present invention relates to a photographic material processing apparatus for performing developing processing and the like by immersing, in a processing liquid, a photographic material exposed to rays transmitted through or reflected from an original document or picture, or to rays obtained by converting electric signals photoelectrically.
Generally, in an automatic developing apparatus using a silver halide photographic material, development is performed by conveying a photographic material while immersing it in a developing liquid stored in a developing tank for a predetermined time.
Generally, the photographic material after development is subjected to various treatments such as bleach fixing, rinsing, and the like. In order to effectively convey a photographic material while immersing it in processing tanks holding various processing liquids for such treatments, for example, the processing tanks storing the respective processing liquids are disposed in parallel. In order to effectively immerse the photographic material in the respective processing liquids, each processing tank has a longitudinally elongated shape so that the photographic material is conveyed in each processing tank in the vertical direction. More specifically, a photographic material is conveyed vertically downwards in a processing liquid in a processing tank, reversed in direction when it reaches a bottom portion of the processing tank so that it is then conveyed vertically upwards in the same processing liquid, reversed in direction again when it emerges from the processing liquid, and then sent to the next processing tank.
Since the photographic material is conveyed through a plurality of processing tanks, if a large quantity of processing liquid of a preceding stage processing tank adhering to the photographic material is mixed with a processing liquid of the succeeding stage processing tank, the composition of the processing liquid of the latter can be changed to the extent that the desired processing cannot be performed. Therefore, when a photographic material is conveyed from a processing tank in a preceding stage to a processing tank in a succeeding stage, in order to minimize the quantity of the processing liquid of the preceding stage processing tank brought into the succeeding stage processing tank, for example, squeeze rollers are provided between the preceding and succeeding stage processing tanks so that the photographic material is conveyed from the preceding stage processing tank into the succeeding stage processing tank while eliminating the processing liquid adhering to the photographic material conveyed from the preceding stage processing tank. In addition, guide members are provided for safely guiding a photographic material from a preceding stage processing tank into a succeeding stage tank.
When a copying machine employing such a system is used in an office or the like, in many cases the power supply for the copying machine is turned off after the completion of the day's work and the operation of the copying machine is stopped until the next day. If the copying machine is not used for a long time, processing liquid adhering to guide members provided between processing tanks can be oxidized through contact with the atmosphere or condensed due to evaporation of its moisture content, so that the quality thereof deteriorates.
When such a copying machine is started after being out of use for a long time, degenerated matter from the processing liquid adhering to the guide members can be transferred to the photographic material guided by the guide members. This can cause staining of the photographic material is stained or prevent it from being processed uniformly.